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What is Apple's worst product of all time?
- Thread starter iBookman
- Start date
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marcsiry said:
my LCII rocks! ::sigh:: my first computer... how i miss the days of reversi and kidpix.
I really do think it's hard to beat the Pippin for suck-factor. It was a horribly overpriced junky console, and did anything other than SuperMarathon ever get released for it?
I would vote for the Performa 5xxx series, which were complete sh*te. Deliberately hobbling a computer to shift surplus parts is very naughty.
Those of you casting aspersions on G3/G4 machines - I think that Apple's worst days - and products - preceded the introduction of the G3.
Those of you casting aspersions on G3/G4 machines - I think that Apple's worst days - and products - preceded the introduction of the G3.
A few comments first:
The Portable - nobody disses my Portable, NOBODY!
It may have been big, weighed a ton, and cost too much, however it has the following redeeming qualities that IMHO save it from the Apple scrapheap:
Real keyboard, with the real Alps keyswitches - same as the Apple Extended Keyboard (I and II) - and the Control key was in the right place.
Real, billiard ball sized trackball that could be configured for right or left handed use by swapping it around with the keyboard.
Battery life that puts every modern computer to shame - 6 to 12 hours (on the non-backlit model).
Yes, I have one of these, and no you can't have it. Didn't buy it new though, got it for free from somewhere I don't recall now (even have the carry case! hahaha). Currently needs a replacement battery to run (won't run off of the original power adapter alone, a known design issue - supposedly a Powerbook 100 power adapter will work, but I don't have one of those either). An interesting note is that the Powerbook 100 is a miniaturized version of the Portable that Sony came up with.
The Powerbook Duo - it did not weigh "15 pounds" (that honor was reserved for the Portable!). It was about 5.5-6 pounds and was The Original Sub-Notebook. The Duo Dock was pure genius - plug in the Duo to the Dock (the slot was motorized!) and your notebook became a full desktop computer with 2 NuBus slots (!) and a place (in the dock) for an additional hard drive, along with all of the standard desktop ports and the standard auto-inject floppy drive. An AAUI port was added for the Dock+ and Dock II. Shut down the Duo in the dock, and press the "Eject" button - your notebook popped out ready for travel! There is still nothing that compares to it to this day. The only fault was the keyboard on early models was a bit of a pain to type on. I had one of these too (a Duo 230, and 2300, along with the Duo Dock), but it was sold a few years back to pay for my telescope.
The Mac Classic has one redeeming feature - it had a copy of the System folder in ROM and could therefore boot without an OS installed on the internal hard disk or on a floppy disk inserted in the drive. It was fast too - to boot from ROM that is, not the machine itself. So cool! Cmd-Opt-X-O at boot did it (I think). It was also cheap (for it's day).
The Performa line was a good idea, but poorly executed, like most of Apple's failures.
My nominations for worst Apple product:
-The Non-Auto-Inject floppy drive. This just blew (but did not suck like it should have!). Coupled with the crappy floppy slot design on most of the Macs they put this in, it was a total nightmare. Nothing like having to almost jam your finger into the drive to get it to suck in the disk. No satisfying 'clunk' that sucked in the disk for you - totally craptacular! I'd say it was 'totally sucktacular', but then it wasn't, was it? I for one thank Apple for putting this little debacle out of my misery with the introduction of the iMac.
-The IIvx/PMac 7100: both shared a sucktacular case (it had a painted steel cover, among other things), and were slow beyond compare. I don't blame Carl Sagan for suing Apple over this one (the 7100 code name was 'Carl Sagan'*) - I would too if they named such a piece of crap after me.
_______________
*The 7100 started off as the 'Carl Sagan' - Sagan didn't like that because the other code names in development at the time were 'Piltdown Man' and 'Cold Fusion', well known scientific frauds. After the lawsuit the 'Carl Sagan' became the BHA or LAW model (depending on preference) - i.e. "Butt Headed Astronomer" or "Lawyers Are Wimps".
The Portable - nobody disses my Portable, NOBODY!
It may have been big, weighed a ton, and cost too much, however it has the following redeeming qualities that IMHO save it from the Apple scrapheap:Real keyboard, with the real Alps keyswitches - same as the Apple Extended Keyboard (I and II) - and the Control key was in the right place.
Real, billiard ball sized trackball that could be configured for right or left handed use by swapping it around with the keyboard.
Battery life that puts every modern computer to shame - 6 to 12 hours (on the non-backlit model).
Yes, I have one of these, and no you can't have it. Didn't buy it new though, got it for free from somewhere I don't recall now (even have the carry case! hahaha). Currently needs a replacement battery to run (won't run off of the original power adapter alone, a known design issue - supposedly a Powerbook 100 power adapter will work, but I don't have one of those either). An interesting note is that the Powerbook 100 is a miniaturized version of the Portable that Sony came up with.
The Powerbook Duo - it did not weigh "15 pounds" (that honor was reserved for the Portable!). It was about 5.5-6 pounds and was The Original Sub-Notebook. The Duo Dock was pure genius - plug in the Duo to the Dock (the slot was motorized!) and your notebook became a full desktop computer with 2 NuBus slots (!) and a place (in the dock) for an additional hard drive, along with all of the standard desktop ports and the standard auto-inject floppy drive. An AAUI port was added for the Dock+ and Dock II. Shut down the Duo in the dock, and press the "Eject" button - your notebook popped out ready for travel! There is still nothing that compares to it to this day. The only fault was the keyboard on early models was a bit of a pain to type on. I had one of these too (a Duo 230, and 2300, along with the Duo Dock), but it was sold a few years back to pay for my telescope.
The Mac Classic has one redeeming feature - it had a copy of the System folder in ROM and could therefore boot without an OS installed on the internal hard disk or on a floppy disk inserted in the drive. It was fast too - to boot from ROM that is, not the machine itself. So cool! Cmd-Opt-X-O at boot did it (I think). It was also cheap (for it's day).
The Performa line was a good idea, but poorly executed, like most of Apple's failures.
My nominations for worst Apple product:
-The Non-Auto-Inject floppy drive. This just blew (but did not suck like it should have!). Coupled with the crappy floppy slot design on most of the Macs they put this in, it was a total nightmare. Nothing like having to almost jam your finger into the drive to get it to suck in the disk. No satisfying 'clunk' that sucked in the disk for you - totally craptacular! I'd say it was 'totally sucktacular', but then it wasn't, was it? I for one thank Apple for putting this little debacle out of my misery with the introduction of the iMac.
-The IIvx/PMac 7100: both shared a sucktacular case (it had a painted steel cover, among other things), and were slow beyond compare. I don't blame Carl Sagan for suing Apple over this one (the 7100 code name was 'Carl Sagan'*) - I would too if they named such a piece of crap after me.
_______________
*The 7100 started off as the 'Carl Sagan' - Sagan didn't like that because the other code names in development at the time were 'Piltdown Man' and 'Cold Fusion', well known scientific frauds. After the lawsuit the 'Carl Sagan' became the BHA or LAW model (depending on preference) - i.e. "Butt Headed Astronomer" or "Lawyers Are Wimps".
A different perspective
I've read through most of this thread and would like to present an alternative viewpoint.
From my perspective, it is impossible to have a "worst" product when you are striving for innovation. No company that is constantly pushing the edges should be branded as having a "worst" product.
Were the Newton, Lisa, Cube (etc) less-than-stellar performers? Yes. But at least the company was moving into uncharted territory.
Companies that ALWAYS have a success with EVERY new product idea are companies that are too cautious.
I applaud Apple for having the guts to stick its corporate neck out for a new concept. Imagine where we'd be if they hadn't attempted to live the vision of their "1984" TV commercial - HERE'S TO THE MISFITS.
I've read through most of this thread and would like to present an alternative viewpoint.
From my perspective, it is impossible to have a "worst" product when you are striving for innovation. No company that is constantly pushing the edges should be branded as having a "worst" product.
Were the Newton, Lisa, Cube (etc) less-than-stellar performers? Yes. But at least the company was moving into uncharted territory.
Companies that ALWAYS have a success with EVERY new product idea are companies that are too cautious.
I applaud Apple for having the guts to stick its corporate neck out for a new concept. Imagine where we'd be if they hadn't attempted to live the vision of their "1984" TV commercial - HERE'S TO THE MISFITS.
In my opinion.
Apple has never produced a bad product, as someone will always love something about each one. On a positive note about Apple products, they have ALWAYS been a step ahead the competition, and have always listened to consumer responses. You do not get to where they are now from building within the box. You have to step out of the box and be different for growth and consumers to notice you. Apple has accomplished this and, as always, is lightyears ahead of the rest... Lead not follow.
Apple has never produced a bad product, as someone will always love something about each one. On a positive note about Apple products, they have ALWAYS been a step ahead the competition, and have always listened to consumer responses. You do not get to where they are now from building within the box. You have to step out of the box and be different for growth and consumers to notice you. Apple has accomplished this and, as always, is lightyears ahead of the rest... Lead not follow.
You all are crazy... The Lisa, Apple III, Newton, 5300, puck mouse a great... Not only cuse they make me money, they were great products... I think the 5300 AC Power Adapter is the WORST, definlty not the PB it self!
The one button mouse has to go, it was great during the Plus era, but not during the era of websites, and gaming. Time to get off the pedestal Apple.
i'm only going to judge products i've actually used:
circle mouse: very uncomfortable, always moved sideways, cord was too short.
safari: i've never had real good luck with safari, it's quick and has nice features, but seems to be pretty unstable for me. i'm not really like the average computer user, i at times have 20 or so pages opened up at a time, i'll usually keep them open overnight so i can read them the next day or so. i also browse all kinds of sites, and from my experience.. safari is very unreliable.
and as always, just my two(2) cents
circle mouse: very uncomfortable, always moved sideways, cord was too short.
safari: i've never had real good luck with safari, it's quick and has nice features, but seems to be pretty unstable for me. i'm not really like the average computer user, i at times have 20 or so pages opened up at a time, i'll usually keep them open overnight so i can read them the next day or so. i also browse all kinds of sites, and from my experience.. safari is very unreliable.
and as always, just my two(2) cents
Of all the apple products I have used/owned (too many to list), I'd have to say the Performa 6200CD was the worst. VERY slow with its 8MB of Ram (It was hundreds of dollars to upgrade it). It came with system 7.5(I think?), worst Apple OS ever.
As has been said, the Lc series, which was a 'dog' of a series, and I am inclined to agree with them. I have a LC2, which I am too ashamed to mention to anybody, and I ended up giving it to my Dad, after a quick stint using it, and took the plunge and got a Lc 575. Great computer, still works today, if I can find the ADB mouse...
I am using my Hockey Puck mouse on my PowerBook now. I have to say, my Logitech 'first wheel' is a much better and more comfortable mouse than the 'puck', but the mouse is far from being unusable.
The biggest Dog Apple has ever made is 10.0 whick is way off being stable, and i still dual/quad boot my PowerMac into the early OsX's to see what we have moved up too. Thank god for Expose.
I am using my Hockey Puck mouse on my PowerBook now. I have to say, my Logitech 'first wheel' is a much better and more comfortable mouse than the 'puck', but the mouse is far from being unusable.
The biggest Dog Apple has ever made is 10.0 whick is way off being stable, and i still dual/quad boot my PowerMac into the early OsX's to see what we have moved up too. Thank god for Expose.
There were a lot of good machines, a lot of so-so machines, but not many really bad machines. Other products have been pretty good.
The Apple III was probably the worst selling machine but only after businesses learned how it wasn't a real step up. The Lisa only sold well to a few, mostly those doing research. The LC series were huge compromises, attempting to bring a consumer-level computer to Apple but eventually got some interest going after the LC, LC II, and LC III were gone and the prices dropped immensely. The QuickDraw Acceleration Card was most likely the one thing that Apple needed that cost it way too much because very few people were willing to pay for it. Then, there was my dreaded WallStreet PowerBook 233 without L2 cache. Incompatible, slow, and unloved.
There's my vote: WallStreet PowerBook 233 MHz, zero L2 cache.
The Apple III was probably the worst selling machine but only after businesses learned how it wasn't a real step up. The Lisa only sold well to a few, mostly those doing research. The LC series were huge compromises, attempting to bring a consumer-level computer to Apple but eventually got some interest going after the LC, LC II, and LC III were gone and the prices dropped immensely. The QuickDraw Acceleration Card was most likely the one thing that Apple needed that cost it way too much because very few people were willing to pay for it. Then, there was my dreaded WallStreet PowerBook 233 without L2 cache. Incompatible, slow, and unloved.
There's my vote: WallStreet PowerBook 233 MHz, zero L2 cache.
wdlove said:
Actually I have to admit that my 266 Wallstreet was perhaps the worst overall PRODUCT (not Apple product specifically) that I ever bought.
I poured about $1600 into repairs for that computer, among them:
A loose / removable sound card / power supply port, respectively,
A broken CD drive,
A broken screen hinge,
A burned out backlight,
Numerous file system problems,
A replaced HD,
About 8 visits to a local Mac repair shop at $50/hr
Thanks Apple
Speaking in terms of software in recent history, I would say AppleWorks and Keynote. I liked ClarisWorks back in the day, but AppleWorks needs a lot of work. No updates in forever, like Keynote, which is stuck at version 1. They're not horrible products. But competition from the undoubtedly superior MS Office and lack of support from Apple's development team has made these the worst of Apple's lineup today.
vraxtus said:Actually I have to admit that my 266 Wallstreet was perhaps the worst overall PRODUCT (not Apple product specifically) that I ever bought.
I poured about $1600 into repairs for that computer, among them:
A loose / removable sound card / power supply port, respectively,
A broken CD drive,
A broken screen hinge,
A burned out backlight,
Numerous file system problems,
A replaced HD,
About 8 visits to a local Mac repair shop at $50/hr
Thanks Apple
I'm sorry to hear about your PowerBook problems. It's too bad that you didn't have AppleCare. Luckily I didn't have any hardware problems at all. Just some software conflicts, the IT department where I worked at the time helped me with those. One guy in particular was a Mac Geek, he had a PowerBook also.
NusuniAdmin said:
That's one of the best Macs I own
I'd like to cast my vote for my 800Mhz G3 iBook because of the logic board problem. Also the iBooks in general because they scratch so easily.
This is just machines that I've used though, I don't know about others, only what I've heard.